Research shows that experiencing hate can have wide-ranging negative impacts on individuals and communities. The California Civil Rights Department (CRD) and the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) included questions on the 2024 CHIS asking victims about the number of hate incidents they had experienced, the types of resources they needed, and whether they were able to access them. This policy brief highlights variations across several population groups and regions.

Findings: 1 in 5 (20%) Californians who experienced hate in the past year faced six or more hate acts in that time period. On average, the 3.1 million Californians ages 12 and older who encountered hate in the past year experienced 5.6 incidents per person. More than half (60%) of Californians who experienced hate did not get support or help following the incident, or for the most severe incident if more than one occurred. Nearly 1 in 3 (31%) of those who experienced hate had unmet needs for support (e.g., mental health support, legal assistance) after the act of hate, or after the most severe act if more than one occurred. Mental health support was both the most common support received (20%) after experiencing a hate incident or the most severe of multiple incidents, and among those who reported any unmet needs, the most common unmet need (38%).

Findings suggest the need for additional investments into culturally informed services and support for victims of hate, particularly in regions and populations where unmet needs are high. 

This fact sheet presents new statewide estimates from the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) of the number of people in 2024 who experienced or witnessed an act of hate in the past year. These hate acts included physical attacks, verbal abuse, cyberbullying, property damage, and other types of incidents (e.g., emotional abuse). Criminal hate acts are a subset of these incidents and include physical attacks and property damage. The fact sheet provides overall statewide estimates, as well as separate estimates for adults and adolescents. It also highlights the most common types of hate acts, where they happened, and reasons why victims believed they were targeted, noting some key differences between adults and adolescents. Finally, it also compares results from the 2024 CHIS to those from 2023 to assess changes.

Findings: Nine percent of Californians ages 12 and older (approximately 3.1 million people) directly experienced an act of hate in the past year, significantly higher than 2023. Adults were significantly more likely to report experiencing hate in 2024 (9%) compared to 2023 (7%). Although the prevalence of hate acts among adolescents did not significantly change between 2023 and 2024, adolescents remained nearly twice as likely as adults to report these experiences (17% vs. 9%). Among Californians who experienced any hate in the past year, the most common form was verbal abuse or insults, reported by 83% (2.6 million people). More than half (55%) of respondents who experienced hate in the past year reported that it was due to their race or skin color (approximately 1.7 million people). Other common reasons respondents reported being targeted included ancestry, origin, or language (21%), gender or sex, including gender identity (17%), sexual orientation (15%), age (13%), religion (12%), and disability status (7%).